


What Do You Say?

by ToxicBabes



Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol, Humour, Implied Mutual Attraction, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, One Shot, Siege The Valentines (Rainbow Six), Siege The Valentines 2021 (Rainbow Six), Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:13:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29357034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicBabes/pseuds/ToxicBabes
Summary: When a Valentine's Day party falls short, Marius ends up finding an unexpected date.For Siege the Valentine's: "Attending a Valentine's Day party and finding an impromptu date."
Relationships: Dominic "Bandit" Brunsmeier/Marius "Jäger" Streicher
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39
Collections: SiegeTheValentines_2021





	What Do You Say?

**Author's Note:**

> I sort of stuck to the prompt, also weaseled around it a little. Either way, this is another fic of friendly ribbing between Marius and Dominic. 
> 
> This is a submission for Day 11 of Siege the Valentines arranged by [Dual Rainbow](https://dualrainbow.tumblr.com) which is a writing event. There are other writers participating and you can find their works under the STV collection for this year.

When Dominic entered the workshop in the late afternoon, there was some sort of conversation taking place which was beyond his level of comprehension. Something brain-itching, drawing attention of multiple coworkers and some of the technicians who lurked on the base. And of course Marius was amongst them, brows furrowed and a hand itching his patchy stubble whilst he looked keenly towards Emmanuelle, hoping she had any suggestions for their dilemma.

Having wandered over to Marius’ desk, Dominic nosied at the clutter strewn across his workbench and he eyed some of the sticky notes peppered along the rim of his monitor. Some gadget assessment paperwork due for two weeks time, remember to buy ketchup at the grocery store- lunch with _Harry_ on Thursday? The mere thought of those two conversing sent Dominic on an amusing train of thought and he hadn’t noticed he was fidgeting with a spanner until Marius was approaching.

“What are _you_ doing in here?” Marius took the tool from him and set it down. He inspected his desk over to make sure nothing else had been disturbed unlike last time when Dominic decided to slather all the screwdrivers in Vaseline. 

“You’re having lunch with the boss?” Dominic ignored the question, unable to contain the leering smile that never failed to make Marius feel as if he _should_ be self-conscious. Though despite that, by now he had grown jaded to all the teasing from Dominic that this only provoked a more hostile response. “Was it your idea or his?”

“Ours. What are you doing here?” The answer was plausible, seeing as Harry seemed to adore looking at everyone under a microscope and Marius actually liked talking to him as well. They were an odd yet complementary pair. 

Accepting the answer, Dominic shrugged before remembering his initial reason for entering this busy space. It was rare to see him here. There was a particular energy in this room that could induce a headache, perhaps the sound of the cogs churning in everyone’s heads as they worked. “Oh, I was in the mood for that Mexican place again and just wanted to know if you wanted to go with me or if you’re gonna be working late again.” 

Marius thought about it for a moment, swayed by the idea for a glimpse of a moment before he shook his head. “No, I have plans,” he refused. “You could have just texted me, you know.”

An indirect way of saying his presence was interrupting work being done. Dominic raised a brow and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “You never check your phone,” he pointed out. “It’s on me. C’mon, man. We can go get drinks after. You and me, what’s so bad about that?”

Although this was no use. They both knew once Marius was fixed on doing something, it was hard to get him to budge. 

“Go ask James or Maxim, I’m sure they’ll love to go,” Marius told him with a languid smile. The cheeky suggestion would have been a good idea had it not been for the fact that everyone was unavailable tonight for some stupid excuse. Maxim had muttered something about the cat being sick and needing his attention, James stalled for a solid ten seconds before simply saying he was too busy. 

Everyone had _plans._ It was Valentine’s Day. If it wasn’t sitting at home alone, it was spending time with someone special and Dominic was certain by now he was going to be treating himself to a crate of beer and looking forward to a sedentary evening on the couch. And since _Marius_ declined the offer for a free dinner, this meant he had plans and this realisation only struck Dominic when he left. 

Marius Streicher, out of all the people, having plans for Valentine’s Day. Now that was something to think about on the way home and Dominic couldn’t shake off the smile on his face as he slipped his motorcycle helmet on. What a strange day.

Being home alone wasn’t usual for him. Marius liked to work late nights and when he was free, Dominic often found himself down at the pub. They were seldom present in the same place as one another unless they were sleeping. He planned to go tonight since there was nothing else to do, maybe he could catch a couple of the seniors in Rainbow having a pint, the ones who were far too old to be dating. That was the plan and he made sure to grab dinner before leaving the apartment.

Though with the usual gang absent, he was doubtful of who he would even find at the pub. The locals weren’t bad when there was a game of football on the telly, but Dominic much preferred to socialise with the people he knew- even the likes of Maxim Basuda who spent more time studying the scratches on the table’s surface than speaking a word, or James Porter who would sometimes get wasted enough to babble about marital problems which were long past him. 

If all goes south, it wouldn’t matter. The pub was a brief walk away from their apartment building. They managed to find a decent place to live, albeit pricey, but it was the cost of wanting somewhere convenient. Plus, it was worth it to pay a little extra given their generous salaries. It wasn’t as if they were living paycheck to paycheck. 

Against his expectations, the bar was more populated tonight. The bartender recognised him and they exchanged a nod in greeting before he served Dominic his usual pint. 

For a moment, Dominic fidgeted with the coaster and tucked into the beverage before mustering the courage to look around and see if there were any familiar faces. Emmanuelle was having a drink, sitting in a booth with a couple others whom he did not talk to frequently. It would make little sense for him to approach them unless they invited him over and so he didn’t dwell on it for long. 

He didn’t. Nothing else mattered now because on the other side of the room was Marius Streicher and they had made eye contact like deer caught in headlights, craning their neck to triple check. When Dominic snapped back to reality, he returned his gaze back to his drink and took the moment to deconstruct what he just saw. 

Marius and Elias but not _together_ in the sense that they were out on a date, but that Elias was clearly being his wingman and for _what?_ Dominic stole a glance again. Two women, both brunettes, decently attractive and somewhat interested in what was going on. A vague yet dreading feeling stirred in the pit of Dominic’s stomach at the thought of what kinds of conversation must be taking place over there. He had no doubt that Marius was capable of holding his own in a conversation, but there was definitely an edge to the man that was oftentimes more irritable than it was charming. 

Visually, Marius wasn’t the textbook definition of handsome, though there was something about his appearance that could draw someone in. Dominic, for one, thought he was attractive enough. Kind eyes, the sort that was reminiscent of a Labrador, then those strange tattoos all along his arms only added to the whole quirk. He was holding up for someone his age, only hampered by a maturing hairline which to some eyes, was only a mere effect of the passage of time and did not matter to them at all.

Personality wise, that was a different discussion. At times he could be sweet, other times the most abrasive person known to man. That was besides the point. Dominic was more concerned with the fact that Marius, for once, was actually making the effort to talk to someone outside of his tightly-knit circle of colleagues. And it so happened today was Valentine’s, which only meant he was doing something special for tonight.

Trawling through his memories, Dominic tried to find any recollection of him mentioning such an event. Then it struck him. The week prior when the rest of the squad were talking about it over their lunch break and Dominic had been too absentminded to pay attention. When Elias asked if he was going to be there, he had scoffed it off as if it wasn’t worth his time. And he was right. Valentine’s? It was too much bother for what it was worth, a hyped up day to spend excessive amounts of money on one’s lover and pretend the sex was anymore special compared to other evenings. 

Whether it was being too old or too weary for romance, or both, Dominic had no idea. All he knew was that Marius was fishing for a bite and that was enough entertainment for tonight. It would definitely give them something to talk about tomorrow. Dominic was no master at interrogation, but he was sure he could extract some information from the pilot with enough prodding and poking. 

“I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”

Marius’ voice broke through his thoughts and he leaned against the bar next to Dominic, waved down the bartender for two pints. It had been roughly half an hour since they first made eye contact and Dominic wondered if he had any success. 

“When am I not here?” Dominic proposed with a toothy grin.

The point was too valid and Marius snorted at the humorous answer. “Right.” He took a sip of his pint and regarded Dominic with a scrutinising look, perhaps studying to see if he had gotten cleaned up more than usual or dressed differently. “So it’s not a coincidence that you’re here while this party is going on, no?”

“This is a party? It reminds me of one of those reality dating shows where socially inept, middle-aged bachelors go to meet women who are also awkward as hell.” Dominic spoke too soon, not realising the slight insult in the comment until he saw how Marius cocked an eyebrow at him. In that moment he had realised the both of them could be painfully unaware at times. “Listen, man, I’m just here for a drink. Why aren’t you talking to me anyways? Go talk to your new friends.”

Marius had already been turning to leave, the two pint glasses clutched in his hands. “Yeah, that’s what I’m doing.” 

The other pint was for the lady sitting next to him. Straight-nosed, probably in her early thirties, shy body behaviour but seemingly interested in Marius. Dominic averted his gaze. It would be horrible if he ruined it for him. Unlike himself, he had no idea if Marius had plans to marry someone in the future and start a family, but it would be a massive disservice if he were to foil his chances for being too nosy. 

The night was drawing to a close and Dominic reckoned he ought to head home soon, seeing as the game of football on the television was quickly going awry and he didn’t want to watch the miserable overtime. As he was finishing the last sip of his glass, someone nudged his side. It was Marius, again. Dominic looked past him to find his tiny social circle was no longer there.

“What happened?” He asked, unable to tell if the outcome was positive or negative.

“They went home. It was fine,” Marius answered, hands stuffed in his pockets. He seemed neither overjoyed or disappointed. Just dandy. “I got her number.”

He could read the expectant look on Dominic’s face, but there was nothing more to say. “Are you staying for more?” He then asked, ignoring the elephant in the room. 

“Nah, let’s get out of here,” Dominic suggested, eager to flee the place before he could watch the demise of his team on the television. They stepped out into the night and the crisp air prickled the lobes of their ears. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy?”

“I’m fine, it’s just… one of those moments when you could have done something else, you know? They were nice- she was lovely, but I don’t know,” Marius admitted and contemplated over it, watching his feet as he deliberated each step against the large, bumpy cobbles of the footpath. “I just hope she didn’t like me too much.”

A snorting noise came from Dominic. He chewed on his inner cheek and resisted the urge to answer his cravings for a cigarette. “Never expected you to be such a Casanova, Streicher,” he teased and bumped him lightly, causing him to stray from his specific path. “I don’t think you have much of a taste for the British- and I don’t blame you.” 

The crass statement drew some amusement from Marius and he refrained from laughing. “Maybe I don’t have an appetite for dating at all anymore,” he considered, then he let out a woeful sigh. “It doesn’t matter. It’s one day of the year. I’ve got what? More than three hundred days of the year left and plenty of years ahead.”

Dominic clicked his tongue at the wisdom and shook his head. “True, but you could also not bother,” he added. “Look at us. We’re off the market, man.”

“Look at _you,_ ” Marius corrected with a cheeky grin, though in good jest. “I’d say I’m good to go.” 

This route was too familiar. They followed down a draughty street dimly lit by sparse lights, momentarily dipping into a thick darkness before stepping onto the small islands of orange light from shopfronts. Like a stray dog, Dominic was searching for a scent and recognised the hearty aroma of fried cod. It had been some time since he ate, he was beginning to feel peckish.

“C’mon, it’s on me,” he said and gestured for Marius to follow him inside. 

As dingy as the place looked with its stained floor tiles and the laminated menus which had turned yellow with age, the food wasn’t bad. They- or rather, Dominic- frequented this shop enough for the red-faced proprietor to recognise him. He always gave them a glance when they spoke in their own language, white moustache twitching when he sniffed and his thick fingers drummed against the surface of the counter as they discussed what they wanted to one another.

Dominic paid for the meals. It wasn’t anything expensive by any means, but the gesture of generosity counted, even if it would slip by Marius since they were relatively tipsy. They took a table by the window and looked on at the empty street as they waited. Out of habit, Marius scratched his stubble, a fingernail brushing against the whiskers of his upper-lip and Dominic noted he had trimmed his facial hair for tonight. 

To catch his attention, Dominic bumped his foot under the table.

“You should’ve gone with me to the restaurant,” he said, breaking the silence between them. “Would have made a better date than whatever you did earlier.”

Marius nodded in agreement, now thinking about the meal he could have had. Then he furrowed his brows as a sudden realisation crossed his mind. “It was supposed to be a date? You were asking me out?”

“ _No._ But it could have been if you wanted it to be.” Dominic was quick to answer, hasty to grin with his teeth in that devilish way which never failed to make Marius a little apprehensive. “I can be romantic if you want me to.” 

“Hard to believe.”

They fell into an awkward silence as the shop owner brought their food over. They thanked him then Dominic grabbed the vinegar and messily doused his chips as if he had already forgotten their conversation. Marius watched him for a moment, fork puncturing holes into the batter of his cod while he contemplated where this conversation was going to go.

“But actually. Like dinner on Valentine’s? Did you mean it in _that_ way or…” There was a distinct heat flaring across Marius’ back, crawling up his spine and even making his scalp tingle. His palms became damp with sweat and he turned his fork a couple times in his hand while he waited for a response.

Dominic couldn’t hide the horrible grin on his face. He chewed slowly, swallowed, sipped his bottle of coke then shrugged it off. “I mean, I just wanted Mexican. But if we had a repeat of last year, I wouldn’t have minded that either,” he said. “Hell, this could be a date. We can go stop by Tesco, get some wine, light a candle when we get home.” 

By last year, he was referring to the previous Valentine’s Day where they got drunk enough to hook up. Presumably it was a one-time thing, Marius had declared so on repeated occasions when Dominic propositioned him in the same way. He had a learned reflex to give him the same rejection once again. 

“I’d have to be blackout drunk to do that again,” Marius mused.

This friendly exchange of cheek was not unusual for them. In fact, they were glad they were on this level of familiarity to be able to speak to one another without painful politeness. They didn’t quite expect it to lead to this point, though Dominic wasn’t fazed. On the other hand, Marius thought differently.

They left promptly after eating, seeing as it was getting awfully late and it would be rude to linger any longer than necessary. The meal had placated them and reduced their minds to a sluggish mess that craved for sleep. Out of all the possible outcomes tonight, Marius did not expect to be walking home with Dominic. Though really, he didn’t know what was going to happen. 

The sensation of an elbow digging into his ribs caused him to spring aside and he shot Dominic a quick glance. No matter how many times they had bickered at each other about this, neither of them were inclined to stop doing this when they wanted attention.

“Last year wasn’t terrible,” Dominic spoke up, still thinking about it. “I thought it was hot.”

“I don’t remember it.” Telling lies was never Marius’ strong suit. They were both aware of that and the fact that he likely remembered more than he would have liked to. The doubtful smile on Dominic’s face only provoked a sour expression from Marius as they let this brief pause simmer between them.

The soles of their sneakers pattered against the damp pavement. A cool breeze brought a chill through Marius where his thin windbreaker could not stave off the cold. It didn’t matter, he was far more focused on the hand sliding across his shoulders as Dominic slung an arm around him to snare him close. “Need a reminder?”

Under the pretence of hating the stink of cigarette smoke, Marius pushed him away. It wouldn’t be Dominic if he let him off this easy. He grasped for Marius’ arm once again, tugging him back and they scuffled, fists balling up in the fabric of each other’s shirts and expressions twisting to hide their smiles. In a last effort, Marius managed to shove him hard enough to make him stumble. 

Breathless and wheezing, Dominic had to pause for a second. They broke into choking laughter and realised how silly this was, glad no one witnessed the sudden incursion. With Marius off guard and thinking this was over, Dominic took the chance to strike. He tackled him, hands taking hold of the collar of his shirt and their faces collided. It almost hurt from the force, though any ache was quickly forgotten about by the contact of their mouths, lips pressing hot against one another. 

It took Marius a second to reciprocate, but he did. He didn’t know what compelled him. He always found the bitter taste of cigarettes to be repulsive, yet here he was completely engrossed by the rough scratch of Dominic’s thick beard against his bare face and the wet sensation of a tongue against his own. In this close proximity he could smell the faint traces of Dominic’s deodorant, overwhelmed by the smoke. He was warm where he pressed up against Marius, pinning him against the brick wall.

Struck with a potent awareness of the current situation, Marius pushed him away with both palms planted against his chest, his eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and surprise. Though he played off the kiss as if it were another antic of rough-housing between them and they continued their slow amble down the empty street.

“Remember now? Well?”

Marius stammered, words tripping over themselves. Then he paused, took a breath and poised himself. “You keep going on about this as if it’ll make me change my mind.”

Dominic looked towards him with a fond grin. “Oh, you have,” he stated and they knew each other too damn well.

**Author's Note:**

> My Twitter is [@CompoundZ8](https://twitter.com/CompoundZ8)  
> My Tumblr is [erc-7](https://erc-7.tumblr.com)


End file.
